Silva vs. Sonnen Results: Did the Fight Live Up to Expectations?

Anderson Silva came into UFC 148 looking to knock Chael Sonnen on his backside. It was very nice of Sonnen to do the honor for him.

But that's just what happened when Sonnen missed on a spinning backfist and went stumbling to the canvas. It was the kind of thing you just can't do against the greatest MMA fighter in the history of MMA fighting.

It reminds me of a line from the film The Usual Suspects: "How do you shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?"

Well, Sonnen missed. And in finding himself on the wrong end of a second-round TKO, Sonnen lost a lot more than a fight. He may have lost his identity as a fighter.

But did the fight live up to expectations? I'm saying no, it didn't.

First, because it was over so suddenly. Only 26 seconds elapsed between the time Sonnen hit the mat and the moment referee Yves Lavigne called the stoppage.

Secondly, it was a decidedly unsatisfying end. All credit in the world to Anderson Silva for swarming a vulnerable opponent and finishing him off. But the woulda/coulda/shoulda that accompanied Sonnen's smack (and gave it credence) has not dissipated.

At the same time, the rivalry is over. It's a little like a promising first date ending when the girl falls asleep on the car ride home. The second date is poised for success, until someone pulls the fire alarm in the restaurant.

I'm not going to lend any fuel to this fire that Silva's knee was illegal (it wasn't), that he was greased (the ref wiped him down) or that he grabbed the shorts (which is like holding in the NFL). He won the fight fair and square.

I had just been hoping that Sonnen wouldn't set it up on a tee for him.